Facebook can simply say ‘no’ to EU’s proposed audit

Yesterday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) agreed on a resolution to “urge Facebook to allow EU bodies to carry out a full audit to assess data protection and security of users’ personal data.”

Yesterday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) agreed on a resolution to “urge Facebook to allow EU bodies to carry out a full audit to assess data protection and security of users’ personal data.”

The MEPs cite Cambridge Analytica and the 87 million users affected by the data breach as the reason for the proposed audit. The resolution is laudable, and it’s clear an impartial audit is needed as Facebook‘s operations may have breached EU law — but it rings a bit hollow when you dig into it.

MEPs urge Facebook to allow EU bodies carry out an audit. The reason for this wording is that, weirdly, the EU can’t subject Facebook to an audit without the company‘s consent.

TNW spoke with Iina Lietzén, an EU press officer, who confirmed this interpretation: “An audit on Facebook by EU agencies would require the consent by Facebook, which is what the Parliament is calling for in the resolution.”

It means that Facebook could simply say ‘no’ and there wouldn’t be an audit.

Facebook didn’t get back to us before this article went live on whether the company would submit to an audit, but it does seem unlikely.

But if Facebook does, for some reason, allow an audit, then MEPs have a few ideas on what the social media platform should do to prevent election meddling a la Cambridge Analytica. MEPs propose: